Key Takeaways

  • Due to recent global events, the prevalence of remote work has exponentially increased.
  • With more people working remotely, there is a higher demand for telehealth, the use of communication technology to provide healthcare from a distance.
  • Telehealth eliminates commutes, making it more accessible, affordable, and flexible than most in-person healthcare services.
  • A resource like Redirect Health is available 24/7/365, connecting members with virtual care whenever they need it.

Telehealth for Remote Workers

Over the last handful of years, countless people have started working remotely—some employers have offered a remote work model to ensure safety and seclusion in response to global events. Nevertheless, a remote work model provides other noteworthy benefits, such as acquiring talent from different areas or saving money by cutting back on office space. Regardless of each employer’s reasoning, the prevalence of remote work has drastically increased.

As more people work from home, the demand for telehealth has also grown. Telehealth involves using communication-based technologies to supply healthcare services from a distance. Many healthcare plans offer coverage for telehealth, eliminating commutes and providing easy accessibility for people in need. By cutting back on clinic spaces and administrative staff expenses, telehealth can also be a cheaper form of healthcare.

Companies like Redirect Health can connect members with virtual care 24/7/365, satisfying the demand for telehealth. We offer our members extensive resources, like an always-available Care Team and an easy-to-use app to help you access convenient and affordable remote healthcare.

The Rise of Remote Work

COVID-19 spurred a drastic increase in remote work opportunities due to the safety and convenience of working from home. A study from the Pew Research Center discovered that about three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting U.S. businesses, roughly 35% of workers with remote-accessible jobs still worked from home daily

Not only did the remote work trend stick around, but it has continued to grow in popularity. Many jobs are adapting their systems and routines to accommodate remote work. An Upwork study projects that 22% of the entire American workforce will be remote by 2025. This ongoing movement toward more remote work is due to benefits like minimizing office space expenses, eliminating employee commutes, and offering a better work-life balance.

Remote work can impact employees’ healthcare requirements and eligibility. Some challenges faced by employers trying to provide adequate healthcare coverage in remote work setups are:

  • If an employer only offers location-specific healthcare plans like a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan and an employee lives outside of the plan’s coverage area, the employee may not be able to get the medical attention they need. 
  • Some remote workers do not have access to reliable transportation that can take them to an in-person clinic, considering they do not need reliable transportation to get to work either.

To combat situations like this, many employers with remote workers try to offer healthcare plans that are more accessible. Employers need to consider offering remote healthcare options to ensure employee retention and satisfaction.

The Role of Telehealth in Remote Work Environments

As the popularity of remote work continues to soar, remote healthcare options like telehealth services also increase in demand. Telehealth is a form of remote healthcare that uses communication technology like video chats or messaging applications to provide virtual care to patients. Understanding the benefits of telehealth can help you decide if it’s right for your business.

Some of the main advantages of using telehealth services are:

  • Efficiency – Patients who choose a telehealth appointment do not have to commute to a clinic, saving them substantial time. Plus, most telehealth appointments can be scheduled in advance, eliminating long lines.
  • Accessibility – Most telehealth appointments can be accessed from anywhere with a stable internet connection. Usually, telehealth providers allow you to use a phone, tablet, or computer to connect with your medical professional.
  • Safety – Some immunocompromised individuals should limit their exposure to other sick patients. Telehealth saves people from the hidden risk of cross-infection that can occur while sitting in crowded waiting rooms at clinics.
  • Affordability – By eliminating the costs of in-person clinic spaces and large amounts of administrative staff, many telehealth providers can offer more affordable healthcare than in-person alternatives.

Due to the various benefits of telehealth services, offering a healthcare plan that covers virtual care can improve employee retention. Keep your employees happy and healthy by providing routes for remote healthcare that meets their needs.

Meeting Healthcare Needs with Redirect Health

All of Redirect Health’s plans incorporate telehealth coverage at no cost, helping your business embrace virtual healthcare. For example, our plans provide coverage for virtual primary care visits and tele-counseling for mental health, which are often less expensive than doing in-person versions of those services, all at no additional expense to our members.

In addition, our highly trained Care Team is available 24/7/365 to connect members to virtual care whenever needed. Our Care Team can also answer questions and help you navigate the healthcare landscape conveniently.

Redirect Health facilitates virtual care appointments for its members, which is perfect for remote work environments that need easy access to telehealth services. Contact us to discover how seamlessly our health plans can fit into your remote work model.

Ensuring Comprehensive Coverage for Remote Teams

Everyone has distinct healthcare requirements due to individualized medical conditions and susceptibilities. Moreover, each remote employee will have access to different medical providers based on their geographical location. Considering these factors, it is essential that employers, especially ones with remote workers, provide comprehensive healthcare coverage that satisfies everyone’s differing needs.

Redirect Health offers top-of-the-line comprehensive coverage to businesses, individuals, and families. Our health plans help members cover the following medical services with a $0 copay:

  • Virtual primary care visits
  • In-person primary care visits
  • Mental health and telehealth counseling
  • Lab work
  • Annual physicals
  • Chiropractor visits (12 per year)
  • Urgent care visits

With Redirect Health’s nationwide 24/7 virtual care and reliable rates, businesses can attract and retain talent. Learn more about how Redirect Health can help satisfy your team’s healthcare needs.

Simplifying Healthcare Management for Small Businesses

Many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) find managing healthcare benefits for their remote teams challenging. The main factors that hinder an SMB’s ability to manage healthcare benefits for remote workers are:

  • SMBs usually do not have a large administrative staff that knows how to navigate the complexities of healthcare. 
  • Their employees have individualized healthcare needs.
  • Their remote employees’ geographic diversity affects their accessibility to in-network medical providers.
  • Offering competitive, extensive healthcare benefits can be expensive for SMBs.

Redirect Health functions as a third-party administrator, streamlining healthcare management for SMBs. We can reduce your team’s administrative burden by facilitating communication between members and our partnered healthcare providers. Plus, our experienced Healthcare Consultants will consider the details of your business, including your budget and goals, to help you decide on a desirable health plan you can afford.

How Redirect Health Can Help

The constantly evolving landscape of remote work has reshaped many employees’ healthcare needs. The geographical diversity of remote employees makes delivering an all-inclusive list of in-network medical providers challenging. Now more than ever, it is crucial for employers to offer easily accessible healthcare solutions like telehealth to satisfy their remote workers’ needs. 

With more individuals working remotely, Redirect Health understands the challenges SMBs face in navigating this new normal. We are committed to providing innovative solutions like health plans with telehealth coverage and our 24/7 Care Team.

By quickly connecting members with virtual care, we can take care of your employees’ healthcare needs and help you and your employees achieve a work-life balance through quality, convenient, and affordable healthcare services.

Explore Redirect Health’s health plans to manage your remote team’s healthcare needs. For expert-level support, contact our Healthcare Consultants.

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